Matt Lauer Reportedly Stealing ‘Today’ Staffers For His Own Comeback Show

Less than a year after the sexual harassment scandal that cost him his job, a new report claims that former Today Show host Matt Lauer is planning a comeback. However, his plans are causing problems at the show that made him famous.

Sources inside the newsroom are claiming that the vindictive Lauer has been focusing on raiding the Today Show staff, so he can start his own show while stabbing his former colleague Hoda Kotb in the back.

“Matt would like nothing better than to wreak havoc on the people who fired him,” says an insider.

NBC fired Lauer in late November last year after multiple women accused the 60-year-old of sexual harassment. And, once they got rid of him, the network did all they could to erase any evidence that Lauer was once an employee and even demolished his office.

But now, as Radar Online reports, Lauer wants payback, and he has been hanging around NBC’s studios at Rockefeller Center in New York City, and he has also been having meetings with former producers, like Don Nash who left Today in January. Lauer apparently wants Today Show talent to join his new show because he knows it would “throw the show into chaos.”

The insider also says the person at the top of Lauer’s wish list is his former co-host, Katie Couric. The source dishes that Lauer believes enough time has passed and he has put the scandal behind him. And, he thinks viewers would come rushing back, especially if he and Couric teamed up again.

Today’s ratings have been down since Lauer’s departure. The show has consistently been finishing second behind ABC rival Good Morning America. Sources say that the combination of Kotb and Savannah Guthrie “just isn’t working.” And even though Kotb is a great daytime personality, she isn’t “cutting it” as a serious news anchor because people are used to seeing her drink wine with Kathie Lee Gifford on the air.

Insiders say that Guthrie was behind the recent promotion of Craig Melvin from Weekend Today to the news desk during the week with her and Kotb, and that was her “first step in pushing Hoda out.” Apparently, Guthrie has zero tolerance for falling ratings.

This has made Lauer happy, according to insiders, because when his scandal broke, he felt like Kotb “hung him out to dry.” Getting revenge on Kotb would cause further chaos on Today, and the insider says it would also clear the path for Lauer to return if his new show isn’t successful.

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But, how realistic is that plan? After everything NBC went through with Matt Lauer, the chances of him ever returning to the Today Show are slim to none. But, as far as him starting his own show on a different network or media platform — anything is possible.